


Whatever It Takes

by rebekahdarian



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Agent!stiles, Alive Hale Family, BAMF Stiles, Eventually Real Dating, Fake Dating, Impromptu Fake Dating, Kid Fic, M/M, Murder, Secret Santa 2018, Witness Protection, Witness to Murder, bodyguard!stiles, holiday party, werewolves are known
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 01:19:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17173127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebekahdarian/pseuds/rebekahdarian
Summary: After Derek's daughter witnesses Deucalion tear one of his betas to shreds, she's the only one who can tie him to the recent string of murders. Advised to proceed with their lives as normally as possible, Stiles is assigned to watch over them and keep them safe. Even if that means attending their family holiday party and being introduced as Derek's boyfriend.





	Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [froggydarren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/gifts).



> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays FroggyDarren! I hope you like it. 
> 
> Word count limit? What's a word count limit? ^_^"
> 
> If I forgot to tag something, please let me know. Thank you.

Derek tapped the steering wheel, his mind half a mile away as he cruised down the interstate. “I could’ve told my mom we couldn’t make it this year.” He adjusted the dial on the radio until another station came back into focus. 

“That would’ve drawn unwanted attention.” The young man in the backseat smiled reassuringly at him in the reflection of the rearview. “The best thing to do is to continue your lives as normally as possible, and you go to this holiday party every year.”

Derek pressed his lips together. He was sure the Department of Justice had a file on him and his daughter that “Stiles” had already read, but it was still slightly unnerving for a virtual stranger to know things about his life Derek hadn’t told him. 

“It’ll be fine, Dad.” Eva lifted her head from the window and leaned into the middle seat to see him. “I’m sure Stiles knows what he’s doing, and if Deucalion shows up, Stiles can handle him, right?” She glanced at Stiles for confirmation.

He nodded. “Of course.”

Eva waved her hand in a “see” gesture and Derek sighed. “Alright. Remember, we can’t tell anyone about what you saw.”

“But Uncle Peter would find murder such an interesting dinner topic.” Her tone was only half sarcastic, but Derek still heard the underlying waver of fear. She took a breath and plowed on. “They’ll hear our heartbeats and know we’re hiding something from them anyway.” She sat forward until her elbows rested on the middle console.

Derek had to admit she had a point.

“I’ll give you both bracelets to wear,” Stiles said.

Derek tilted his head; that was an unusual defense against werewolf senses. He listened as Stiles dug around at his feet before pulling his backpack onto his lap.

“What will bracelets do?” Eva demanded, twisting around to see what Stiles was doing.

“A druid charmed them so it muddles heartbeats and scents. It makes other ’wolves think they can hear and smell what’s going on with the wearer, when really they’re hearing and smelling what they expect to hear and smell.” Stiles wrestled a zipper into submission, grinning as he looked through a smaller pocket inside the main one. “There’s also a panic button in the middle bead. You hold it for three seconds and my partners with the Marshalls will know your location and come help you.” 

Eva raised a questioning brow at Derek. 

He hadn’t heard of anything like that either.

“So,” Derek began slowly, “if something happens to Eva, I won’t be able to tell?”

Eva frowned, shrinking back into her seat. Since witnessing Deucalion tear one of his pack members to shreds, nightmares and anxiety had plagued her. 

“Absolutely not,” Stiles said sharply, pulling two straw woven bracelets from his bag. “If you listen and smell close enough you can tell there’s something wrong with the wearer, but unless you suspect something, it’s hard to tell.”

Derek chanced a glance over his shoulder at the jewelry. Large wooden beads hung from various points. It looked like a child had made it at summer camp. He sniffed; he couldn’t smell the distinct citrus tinge of magic, only the straw and cedar wood, which was probably the point, he realized. 

“Who made those?” Eva asked. She frowned, reaching out to touch one.

Stiles handed it over. “Didn’t you make them?” 

“No,” Eva said flatly.

Derek barked a laugh at her tone.

Stiles motioned to the bracelet. “Hold onto that and tell your dad you made it.” His gaze skipped up to Derek’s. “Listen to her heartbeat and see if you can tell she’s lying.”

“Alright.” Derek nodded, willing to play along if that meant ensuring their safety. He tuned in immediately to the familiar thump of Eva’s heart; it was calm and strong at the moment, despite the situation. He listened as the beads clacked.

“I made these for us,” Eva said, looking up at Derek. 

He could tell she didn’t expect it to work. 

Her heart slowed for a fraction of a second but the tell-tale skip of a beat and quickening wasn’t there. 

“Huh.” Stiles had been right; he knew something was wrong but if he hadn’t been listening as closely as he was he wouldn’t have realized anything out of the ordinary. “Cool trick.”

“It worked?” Eva gasped. She flung the bracelet over Derek’s shoulder onto his lap. “Tell me a lie, I want to hear.” 

“It can’t take back words,” Stiles said quickly. “So if you say the wrong thing, there’s no take backs or “I didn’t mean that”, because then they’d look closer and realized something _is_ wrong.”

“I think we can manage that.” Eva nudged Derek’s shoulder. “Tell me a lie.”

It took another hour before they pulled into the driveway of Derek’s childhood home. Nothing about it had changed, not that he expected it would. It twisted between trees, slowly creeping up the hill to the house. 

Eva peered through the window into the trees, while Stiles did the same through the opposite window, most likely taking notes on the layout. 

Cars were parked and double parked in front of the garage. Derek recognized them all on sight and sighed. He and Eva were the last ones to arrive, again. Which meant a huge welcome and lots of attention. 

He turned the car off, listening as Stiles and Eva scrambled around in the back to gather loose items that had escaped on the journey. Shadows moved behind the curtains next to the front door, giving them a brief warning before it banged open, casting a long glow of light across the dimming drive. 

“Aunt Cora!” Eva shrieked. She launched herself from the car, flying across the driveway. 

Cora caught her around the middle, stumbling backwards until she landed on her bottom in front of the door in a tangle of teeth and claws. 

“Does it make you feel better to assert your dominance over a child?” Derek slid from the car. It was nice to be home. Familiar scents wafted from the open door. Even from this far away, he could smell his mom’s cooking and hear his dad trying to distract Laura’s eldest from charging after Cora. 

Cora knelt on Eva’s back, effectively pinning her to the ground but loose enough for Eva to slip out if she desperately wanted to. 

“I assert dominance equally amongst all my nieces and nephews.” She straightened but held her grip on Eva’s shirt to reduce the chances of round two.

“One of these days someone’s going to get the best of you.” Derek walked around the back of the car and opened the trunk. 

Stiles came up next to him, his own bag already over his shoulder. “I can help carry these in,” he said, scooping up a duffel bag. 

“Thank you. Eva, get your bag.” Derek stepped around the side of the car, watching Cora in case she decided to retaliate while Eva’s back was turned. 

Eva shuffled back to the car, clamoring into the backseat to grab her forgotten backpack.

“Who’s that?” Cora asked once Derek stepped onto the front porch. 

He looked up at her words. 

She stared around him toward the car, and since she obviously knew who Eva was, there was only one answer.

“Stiles.”

Cora’s arm shot out, barring his path to the front door. 

“Who’s Stiles?” she asked sweetly, eyes glinting mischievously. “You didn’t say you were bringing someone.”

Derek floundered. Of course he’d told his mom he was bringing someone; it would have been rude to show up with a guest unannounced. The way Cora was smirking, though, set him on edge. He and Stiles had come up with a story, a good story: they had met in college. It was vague enough and believable enough to hopefully answer all questions. 

Cora's smirk widened and Derek was an adult, he had a ten-year-old daughter and no reason to be so easily provoked by his little sister. 

This was ridiculous. He wasn't— "My boyfriend." Oh, shit. 

Cora cackled, throwing her head back with the force of it. “Derek finally found someone!”

Derek’s jaw hit the floor. That wasn't what he meant. Only half the thought had come out. He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. He couldn’t take the words back; Stiles had said not to, or was this an exception? He didn’t want to cause this plan to fail so early, but what had he just _done_?

Somewhere in the back of the car, Eva groaned into the seat cushion.

A wiry arm looped through Derek’s and his heart sank somewhere to around his knees. 

Stiles was going to kill him. This wasn’t what they’d talked about at _all_.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Stiles grinned, falling into the part seamlessly while Derek fell further into guilt. 

Cora took a deep breath, calming herself enough to shake Stiles’s free hand. “Nice to meet you, too. Derek’ll show you where his old room is. Oh my Gods—Mom!”

“I heard. Let them inside so they don’t freeze.” Talia appeared behind her.

“I’m coming, too!” Eva called from the car, wiggling backwards through the door, bag clutched to her chest.

Derek followed Cora inside. 

Stiles stepped after them, still holding onto his arm. 

Talia wrapped Derek in a warm hug, brushing a kiss across the top of his head before pulling back. “It’s lovely to meet you, Stiles.” Talia held her hands out questioningly. 

Stiles let go of Derek and stepped forward, giving her a hug as well. 

“Dinner will be ready in about an hour. If you’re not too tired, I hope you join us.”

“That’d be wonderful.” Stiles beamed. 

Talia stepped back, snatching Eva into a hug as she darted by laughing.

“I’ll show you where the room is,” Derek muttered, seizing the chance to get out of the foyer. 

The stairs to the second floor took up the right side of the entrance, looping over between the foyer and living room before turning into a hall.

Stiles followed him up, glancing over the sides of the half walls. 

Eva made a quick detour into the living room below to hug Evan, Derek’s dad, before spinning around to charge up after them. 

“Bathroom,” Derek pointed to the first door on the right, “bedroom.” He opened the next door, stepping into the room and dropping his bag out of the way. 

“Sound proof,” Stiles observed.

Derek saw him looking at the width of the door jam; how he could tell? It was his job, Derek supposed. 

 

Eva ducked into the room after them, launching her bag across the room where it hit the bed and bounced. 

Laura muttered something suggestive at Stiles’s sound proof comment and Derek shut the door. 

“I’m so sorry,” Derek breathed, looking over at where Stiles stood by the dresser. “I can go back and tell them—I don’t even know what I’m going to tell them. I messed up.”

“It’s alright.” Stiles opened a drawer curiously. “Clothes in here?”

“Yes.” Derek ran his hands over his face. “It’s not alright, I just completely fu-udged up.”

“I know what bad word you were going to say.” Eva flopped across the bed, tugging on the backpack zipper until it opened. 

“How do you know what one I was going to say?” Derek fixed her with a stare.

She grinned, flashing dimples. “I love you.”

Derek let out a ragged sigh. “Love you too.” He took a breath. “Stiles, I-”

“I mean it,” Stiles interjected. He pulled his folded clothes from his bag, setting them in the drawers. “It’s fine. I’ve been worse things at shorter notice.” 

“Like what?” Eva propped herself up on her elbows.

Stiles grimaced. “Nothing G rated.”

“Hey! I’m at least PG, and in a few years I’ll be PG13.” Eva sat up, swinging her legs off the side of the bed, a comic clutched close to her chest. “What’d you pretend to be?”

“We can play along for now,” Stiles said, strategically ignoring Eva. “We can even still keep the met-in-college story.”

“I switched to online classes after my first year at UC Berkeley, though.” Derek crossed the room to sit on the bed.

“So? You were still there, even briefly. Were you going to say you met me online?” Stiles chuckled. “I guess you could if you wanted.”

“No. No, no, that’d just give them more fuel for the fire.” Derek stretched his legs in front of him, working out the slight ache that came with being in a car for hours. “Met at college is still good.” He paused; two weeks was all they had to survive to get through this. Two. Weeks.

 

The house was loud and chaotic, just like it used to be when Derek was growing up. He made sure to keep Stiles as close as possible, lest one of his siblings snatch him away to interrogate him. Derek introduced Stiles to everyone as they passed. 

Evan was guarding the food laid out on the counter and dishing out portions to whomever walked by. 

David, Laura’s eldest son, made it known why guarding the food was necessary when he tried to run off with the serving plate of mashed potatoes.

“So.” Cora slid into an empty seat across from Stiles. “What classes did you two have together?” 

Derek chewed furiously around the baked chicken, ready to tell Cora it wasn’t any of her business.

“We didn’t have classes together,” Stiles said before Derek could swallow. 

“How’d you meet, then? Derek isn’t exactly the social type.” Cora took a small bite of potatoes, smiling at Derek.

She was getting coal for any future presents.

“We shared a dorm building.” Stiles shrugged. “It wasn’t anything special, we just saw each other in passing. Truth be told, I don’t think he even realized I existed.” He grinned at her, then glanced at Derek. “We didn’t start talking again until recently.”

Derek almost choked on the chicken. Yeah, really recently, like a week and a half recently. 

“Why’d you start talking again?” Cora leaned her forearms on the table, eyes narrowed slightly.

“Cora, stop harassing them.” Peter sat next to her, setting his own plate of food down before looking around to see where his wife, Olive, and daughter, Malia, had gone. 

“I think Malia went with Eva to raid the library.” Laura tugged the highchair containing her youngest child closer to her seat. “And they may or may not have convinced David to snag the ice cream bars from the freezer to take up to them. I heard something about chocolate or vanilla. I can investigate in a moment.”

Evan opened the freezer and sighed in defeat. “They took the chocolate. I’ll get it back.”

“Don’t let them get ice cream in my books!” Peter snapped, craning his neck to watch Evan leave. 

“Don’t yell in my house!” Talia hollered.

A shout reverberated down the stairs. David’s voice, Derek recognized. Malia and Eva’s loud protests were short to follow.

Footsteps thundered down the steps. 

“Mom, Grandpa took our ice cream!” David howled, continuing to run until he plowed into Laura’s lap. “He didn’t even ask for it, he just _took_ it.”

“Did you ask before taking it out of the freezer?” Laura countered, gripping the high chair to keep it from toppling. 

Derek watched, mildly impressed, as she comforted David, finished her own food, and continued feeding Daniel.

“No,” David grumbled. “But now he’s up there eating it by himself! I was sharing it with Malia and Eva.”

“Not in my library, he isn’t.” Peter stood quickly, plate abandoned on the table. “We’ve been through this, those are my books and ice cream will not be eaten around them.”

Stiles hid a smile behind his glass as Peter stalked from the dining room muttering. 

Derek smiled as well; at least Stiles found his family amusing instead of irritating. Even he knew they could be a handful when gathered in one place for any amount of time.

“Dad.” Eva hopped up to the table. “Malia says—ooh, Stiles, you might be able to help with this.”

Derek gaped.

“You’ve been replaced.” Laura grinned, wiping food off of Daniel’s chin and hands. She scooped him up from the high chair, dislodging David from her lap. “Goodnight, everyone.”

Daniel flapped his hand as everyone said goodnight back.

David rubbed his eyes. “I’m going in the living room with Malia.”

“One more hour, then bed,” Laura said.

David nodded, slipping off into the other room.

Eva glanced back at Derek. “You don’t read comic books, and I’ve seen the Venom comics Stiles thought he was hiding.”

Stiles lifted his hands in surprised surrender, then frowned worriedly. “Those aren’t G-rated.”

“PG.” Eva pointed to herself.

“They’re not even PG, I doubt your dad would approve of you reading those.” He glanced at Derek, who nodded.

“Not until you’re older, Eves. I’ve at least heard about those ones.”

“You haven’t read them?” Stiles gasped, hand flying over his heart in mock horror.

“This isn’t about Venom, this is about Spiderman.” Eva crossed her arms, squeezing her way between the table and Derek until she could sit on his lap and face Stiles. “Out of the movies, which Spiderman is better?”

“The original,” Stiles said.

“No.” Eva shook her head. “You and Malia said the same thing, but you’re wrong. The Amazing Spiderman is better, even though there’s only two movies.” 

“Maybe the original has more movies because more people liked it,” Stiles retorted. 

“Nope.” Eva shook her head. “You need a first draft before a final copy. I refuse to accept that.”

Stiles’s mouth fell open and his eyes crinkled in amusement. 

Derek could almost see the laugh bubble up from within him until it exploded, shaking his whole body with it.

Derek chuckled as well; Stiles’s laughter was infectious. 

“I want to watch Spiderman tonight,” Eva announced. She tilted her head back to look at Derek. “Please? I brought the DVD.”

“I suppose one movie won’t be bad. We’ll set it up in my room, though, so we can just go to sleep afterwards.” 

“Yes! I’ll go get the DVD out.” Eva jumped up from Derek’s lap, taking the steps two at a time, being careful not to disturb her cousins.

Malia and David were sprawled on the couch.

Malia leaned against the armrest, eyes slowly slipping closed as a documentary about ocean life played in the background.

And David, as far as Derek could tell, was already out cold, starfished across the oversized ottoman. 

“I’ll take him to the room in a moment,” Sam said softly, coming into the room from the kitchen and following Derek’s gaze. “Laura’s almost got Daniel asleep, and she’ll kill me if we wake him up.” A small smile curled the side of his mouth. He stretched his legs out under the table, head tilted in the direction of the bedroom as he listened for Laura’s cue that it was okay to come in.

“I’ll go help Eva, then we’re probably off to bed too.” He stood to follow, and glanced at Stiles for confirmation.

Stiles nodded, rising to his feet. “See you in the morning.” He arched his back, stretching his arms over his head. 

The hem of his shirt lifted enough to expose the flesh around his hips and Derek forced himself to look away. That was not appropriate behavior, he told himself. They were pretending to be boyfriends, that didn’t mean he had the right to ogle. 

Sam smiled at them. “Goodnight.”

Eva sat waiting for him on the bed covers, her face split in a wide grin.

“It’s bed when the movie’s over,” Derek reiterated, inserting the disk she’d laid out on the dresser next to the TV. 

“Okay.” She wiggled back until she could pull the covers over her legs and leaned back against the pillows and headboard. 

Derek glanced around the room. 

The bed was a queen, and could possibly fit the three of them if they had to. Stiles was, in fact, still a stranger to them though, despite telling his family otherwise. His gaze flicked to the door. Like Stiles had noticed earlier, the rooms were soundproofed, so the thought of putting him in an entirely different room than Eva when she was the one he was protecting wasn’t the best idea either. 

Stiles needed to be able to intervene quickly if anything happened.

“I’ve got some work I need to get done on my computer,” Stiles said slowly. If he noticed Derek’s predicament, he didn’t show it. Instead, he motioned to a small armchair in the corner of the room. “Mind if I use that and a couple of the outlets?”

Derek waved his hand. “Go ahead, anything you need.”

Derek climbed into the bed next to Eva, gaze slipping to the TV screen. He had until the end of the movie, or at least until Stiles was done with his work, to think of a place for him to sleep. 

The bed sunk beneath his weight. It felt nice to stretch out, his muscles relaxing after being held stiff for so long. 

He listened to Eva’s steady heartbeat next to him, strong and rhythmic, even though he knew she wasn’t asleep yet. They were safe here. Even with the door closed between him and the rest of the pack he could sense their presence close by. 

His eyes burned against the brightness of the TV in the dark. Slowly, he felt them slip closed.

Eva rested her head on his arm.

Derek could feel her body move with each breath; he could almost feel the tension leaving her body as she sank lower into the bed next to him. She felt safe here, too. 

He distantly heard the clacking of Stiles typing on his computer. A smile twitched sleepily against his lips. Stiles would keep watch for them, at least for now.

Eva twisted next to him, yanking the blankets away.

Derek’s eyes flew open. The room was darker than it had been before and the TV was off; only the dim glow from the DVD player and clock on the nightstand lit the room. It only took a second for Derek’s wolf senses to kick in, vision sharpening as everything came into a hazy focus. 

Eva’s lip quivered. Her claws extended and retracted into the comforter, body folded forward in on herself, trying to escape from whatever or whoever was in her dream.

Derek set a hand on her shoulder. “Shh, it’s alright.”

She leaned into his touch but didn’t relax. 

Sudden movement by the wall made Derek jump, head flying up, fangs dropping over his bottom lip. 

Stiles lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “Just me,” he whispered. 

Derek blinked. The clock said it was just past four in the morning, and Stiles was standing by the chair he’d been in before Derek had fallen asleep.

“Have you been awake all night?” Derek asked, doing his best to keep his voice low. 

Eva rolled toward him, curling up against his chest.

He brought a hand up to her back, gently rubbing small circles to try and calm her more.

Stiles gave a one shouldered shrug. “Not all night.” He looked toward the window. 

The curtains had been drawn, cutting off any light that could possibly seep in. 

Stiles gently pushed the side of the curtain away. Dull moonlight illuminated his face as he peered out into the trees. 

Derek breathed slowly, straining his ears. He could only the thumping heartbeats of Stiles and Eva and the occasional creak of wood under the carpet as Stiles shifted his weight. 

“She’s okay.” Derek looked down at Eva in his arms. Her face had smoothed out and her claws relaxed back into hands. “Just another bad dream.” He tucked an arm around her protectively, pulling her closer.

Stiles nodded, hand slipping from the curtain. It swung shut, casting the room back into darkness. “I’m going to go get some water, check the house; just in case.” He stepped up to the dresser, grabbing an oversized hoodie and pulling it on. “I’ll be back.” 

The bedroom door opened soundlessly and Stiles stepped out into the hall, pulling the door behind him but not shutting it all the way.

Derek watched him go. He could hear Stiles’s socked feet pad down the hall. The footsteps grew harder to hear when Stiles reached the stairs.

It wasn’t long before the footsteps returned. Derek listened as they came up the stairs, and down the hall.

The distinct scent of coffee and hot chocolate hit his olfactory senses by the time the door opened slowly.

Stiles’s face appeared around the corner. He smiled weakly. “I wasn’t sure if you’d gone back to sleep.”

Derek sat up against the headboard frowning. 

Stiles held two mugs in his hands as he stepped into the room. He twisted, carefully closing the door with his elbow. 

It’d be stupid to ask what Stiles was holding when he could clearly smell what it was from the bed. But... “Why?”

Stiles hesitated mid step halfway across the room. 

“Your dad was awake.” Stiles held the hot chocolate out to Derek. “He asked if everything was alright, so I told him Eva had a nightmare.”

Derek took the drink, bringing it up to his nose and savoring the scent. He hadn’t had hot chocolate in years. 

Eva prefered apple cider. 

“He said you liked hot chocolate and I was welcome to the coffee.” Stiles grinned. “He has no idea what he just did. There won’t be any coffee in the house by the time we leave.”

Derek chuffed. “You’ll be up against Peter and Cora then, but be my guest. I’ll cheer for you, from the safety of the sidelines.”

The smell of the drink was intoxicating. He could remember one or both of his parents bringing him hot chocolate after a bad day, and just sitting with him. He’d sit in their lap on the bed until he felt better. And when he’d gotten older, they’d sit in the same chair Stiles had been using, while he took up the bed, talking with him until he felt better. 

“Thank you,” Derek said. He took a tentative sip of the drink, happily surprised to find it cool enough to not take the skin off the roof of his mouth. 

“You’re welcome.” Stiles sat back in the chair, hunching over his mug, breathing in the steam. 

“Do you want to get some sleep? I can scoot over.” Derek inched Eva closer to the bedroom door, scooting behind her to give Stiles room to crawl under the covers if he chose too. 

Stiles smiled softly. “No, thank you. Part of the training is to function on a few hours of sleep, at least for a short time. I’d rather be awake.” He took a sip of his coffee, wincing at the heat. He glanced back at Derek. “You can go back to sleep if you want. I can hold down the fort for a little while.”

Derek had no doubt Stiles could do just that, but even if he tried to go back to sleep, he didn’t feel like he could. “I’m awake for now,” he said. He rubbed his thumb along the handle of the mug. “Thank you for all your help.” He stared down at the mug for a second, then looked back up. “With Eva, and with my dumb self.”

“No problem.” Stiles tucked his feet beneath him. “It’s part of the job.”

Derek dropped his chin to his chest. “Yeah.”

 

Eva popped awake shortly after seven. She bounded across the room, scooping up clothes on her way to the bathroom. She swung the door open and froze. 

Derek looked up, alarmed at the sudden increase in her pulse. Physically, she looked fine. And he couldn’t hear or smell anything out of the ordinary. Multiple voices came from down stairs, but they were all from pack.

She looked over her shoulder at Derek, a large grin splitting her face. “I smell bacon!”

Sam’s voice bellowed up to them. “I MADE BACON!”

“Save me some!” Eva yelled, leaping toward the bathroom.

Derek chuckled. “Getting her up for school is like pulling teeth, but when she can sleep in, she’s up at the crack of dawn.”

Stiles nodded, closing his laptop. “It’s the way of kids. I can remember doing the same thing to my dad.”

 

“Good morning!” Sam greeted, hoisting Daniel higher on his hip. 

A line of drool dangled from his mouth to his shirt. 

“Where’s the bacon?” Eva asked, craning her neck to see around her uncle. 

“Manners, Eva.” Derek stepped around her to wash his mug in the sink. 

“Where’s the bacon, please?” Eva tried again. 

Sam chuckled and motioned to a plate in the center of the table. “Help yourself, I’ve got more in the oven.”

“Thank you.” Eva jumped into an empty seat, dragging the plate toward her.

Derek sighed. He pulled a clean plate from the cabinet and set it in front of Eva, pushing the serving plate back into the center.

Eva beamed up at him in complete innocence. 

Sam wiped Daniel’s face with a burp rag. “You guys are up bright and early.”

“The curse of vacation.” Stiles stepped up behind Eva, snagging a piece of bacon for himself before she could protest. 

“That was a dangerous move.” Sam grinned. 

Eva frowned, staring at the plate in contemplation. “I’ll share with you, Stiles,” she said carefully. “If you change your opinion on the Spiderman movies.” She cast him a sly glance.

“Nope.” Stiles grinned back, stepping out of her reach as he continued to take deliberately small bites from the bacon strip.

“I smell coffee,” Peter grumbled.

Derek looked up in time to see him round the corner. He had deep bags under his eyes and his clothes were sleep rumpled. 

“Shirts on backwards.” Eva pointed to the tag sticking poking out from the front of his shirt.

Peter blinked bearlily down at it for a moment. “So it is.” He didn’t bother lifting his gaze, he only followed the scent of coffee to the pot. 

“Good morning,” Sam greeted. 

Peter grunted, pouring himself a cup.

“Olive and Malia joining us?” Sam asked, glancing behind Peter like he expected the two to suddenly appear. “They’re usually up before you.”

“They already left,” Peter said into his cup.

Eva’s head popped up. “Left where?”

Peter shrugged. “A run, probably. Somewhere on the property.” He leaned against the counter, resting his head on the cabinet above. “Laura and David still asleep?”

“She wishes.” Sam smiled. He set Daniel at his feet, wiggling a teether in front of him until he took it. “She’s trying to get David to shower. He keeps insisting he’s going to jump in the creek later so he doesn’t need to shower today.”

“It’s a bit cold for a swim,” Peter noted. “Smells like snow outside.”

“Let him jump in the creek, it’s what we did as kids.” Evan ducked into the kitchen, stepping around Peter and Derek until he could join Eva at the table. 

“And you smelled like stale creek water for days, I’m sure,” Peter grumbled. He tipped his cup back, draining the contents in a few quick swallows before filling it again.

Stiles threw Derek a wide eyed glance. 

Derek chuckled. “I told you, you’d have to fight Peter and Cora for the coffee.”

Peter looked up and over at them, brows pulled down. “I’ll start another pot.”

“No, it’s okay.” Stiles shrugged. “I shouldn’t drink as much coffee as I do anyway.” 

“I’m starting another pot for me,” Peter corrected, turned back to the machine. “And maybe Cora if she ever gets down here.”

Stiles nodded and turned to Derek. “Do you think we could go see the property?” He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. “I bet it’s lovely.”

Derek straightened. He hadn’t thought about showing Stiles the rest of the land, but that made sense. 

Stiles would probably feel better knowing what surrounded them in case Deucalion did show. 

“Yeah.” Derek glanced at Eva.

She was finishing the bacon she’d piled on her plate.

“We can go when Eva’s done eating, if you’d like.”

Eva looked up, brow furrowed. “I don’t want to go out in the cold.”

“Once we start moving you’ll warm up,” Derek said. He didn’t think leaving her home, even with the pack, was the best idea. And surely she knew that, she knew Stiles was there to watch after her, not him. “It’ll be fun,” Derek insisted. “Stiles hasn’t seen any of the territory, he might get lost without us.”

Eva tossed her head back, staring up at the ceiling. “I want to stay here. It’s warm, and there’s food.”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to come along,” Stiles said.

Derek’s head snapped toward him. The motion didn’t go unnoticed. 

Peter set his coffee cup down, slyly watching from the corner of his gaze. 

Evan lifted an eyebrow, lips pressed together thoughtfully. He glanced at Sam, who shrugged.

“If your dad approves, I was thinking you might like to read some of the comics I brought.” Stiles looked up at Derek. “He has to approve of what ones you can read, though. Since I won’t be here to miss them, this might be your best opportunity.” He grinned. 

Eva’s face lit up. “Dad, can I?” She twisted to face Stiles. “What ones did you bring? Are they in your backpack?” She jumped from the chair. It wobbled onto two of its legs before thunking back to the ground. 

“Let’s go see what Stiles brought.” Derek motioned for her to go.

Eva shrieked, tearing off toward the stairs. 

Derek and Stiles followed behind.

They entered the bedroom and Derek swiftly shut the door. “Eva’s supposed to be the one in protection.” He lifted his hands to his hair. “Why did you say she could stay behind? What if something happens while she’s here?”

Eva paused in her rush to get to Stiles’s bag, shoulders hunched and the scent of guilt slowly seeping off of her.

Stiles picked up his backpack, setting it gently on the bed. “Forcing her to go would only cause a scene. Unless you often have to persuade her to join you outside? Besides, being with the majority of her pack is as much protection, if not more, than I could provide.”

“I can go,” Eva said softly. 

Derek watched as she crawled on the bed next to Stiles. 

“I didn’t mean- I didn’t realize. I forgot.” She ducked her head. “But I don’t want to go.” She looked back up, eyes pleading for Derek to understand.

“You don’t have to go.” Stiles unzipped his bag, tossing back the flap to reveal at least a dozen comics. He quickly removed the Venom ones from the pile, setting them off to the side. “What you do have to do though,” he fixed Eva with a look, “is stay as close to Grandma Talia as you can.”

“Why?” Eva asked, reaching into the bag to scoot the comics around with a finger.

“She’s the Alpha,” Stiles said. “Your dad and I would be the best options to watch after you right now, but if you really don’t want to go with us, you can stay with Talia and have a comic to read.”

Eva picked up one of the comics, flipping through the pages slowly, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

“Decision?” Derek prompted after a seconds silence.

“Grandma Talia and the comic,” Eva muttered. “This one okay?” She held it up so Derek could see the Spiderman cover. 

“Looks okay to me.” Derek ran a hand over his face. “Stiles?”

“That one’s good,” he agreed.

“Thank you, Stiles.” Eva clutched the comic to her chest. “Thank you, Dad.” 

“You’re welcome,” Derek said.

Eva stood and wrapped her arms around Derek’s middle. “I love you.”

“Love you too, kiddo.” Derek hugged her back.

She let go, turning and diving into Stiles before he had much of a chance to react. 

He tilted sideways, bracing himself against the bed with his unpinned arm. 

“Be careful,” Eva said into his shirt.

“Always.” Stiles gave her a brief hug. “We’ll be back soon.”

Eva stepped back, toward the door. “I’ll go find Grandma Talia.”

Once Eva left, Stiles changed into warmer clothes and tugged on a pair hiking boots.

 

Cold air rushed against Derek’s face as he slid open the back door.

The sun was just starting to peek through the trunks, casting long shadows across the deck and ground.

Stiles stepped out after him.

The deck was bare at the moment. In the warmer months Talia and Evan set out furniture, often choosing to serve meals outside instead of indoors.

Stiles flapped his arms against the cold. “Peter wasn’t joking.” He crossed the deck to the stairs that led down to the trees, glancing back only once to see if Derek was following.

“He doesn’t joke often, and if he does it goes over most of our heads.” Derek crossed the deck in three steps, jumping lightly over the stairs.

Stiles squinted into the sunlight at the trees. His breath fogged the air, and he brought a hand up to shield his eyes.

 

“There’s quite a bit of land.” Derek fell into step next to him, happy to let him lead the way for now. “Fifty something acres. We can come out again later if you get too cold.”

Stiles barked a laugh. “I’ve got layers, I’ll be fine.” He dropped his hand from his face, turning onto a narrow, beaten trail. “Let’s follow this one for now.” 

Derek kept up with Stiles’s pace. Their shoes crunched against the frosted earth, and birds flapped in the branches above them, sending a rain of pine needles on the path around them.

“We’ll hit the creek up around the bend.” Derek pointed to where the trail turned left. “It could be dry by now, but most likely there will still be some water.”

“I won’t jump in,” Stiles promised. He smiled. “Thanks for the heads up, though.”

Derek tipped his head back, scenting the air. 

The iconic stale water smell assaulted his nose, quickly followed by the muted, earthy scent of mud. 

Derek sped up, passing Stiles and putting himself a few steps ahead of him. Could Stiles even cross the creek without getting wet? He was human. He’d probably contract hypothermia or pneumonia. 

Stiles huffed.

Derek heard Stiles’s footsteps grow faster, a sharp, bitter scent wafted from him as he passed Derek and took the lead himself. His face set firmly, arms swinging by his sides.

Derek hesitated mid step. Had Stiles heard something he’d missed? He’d been focused on the creek, but... He looked around. Nothing seemed out of ordinary. The brown ground, with the slightly lighter brown tree trunks, and the brown and golden leaves on the ground. Nothing was wrong.

He looked after Stiles cautiously. 

Stiles turned, grinning over his shoulder. “Why’d you slow down?”

Derek smiled, heart evening out. Nothing was wrong at all. Stiles had been playing. He closed the distance between them. No sooner had he reached Stiles’s side than Stiles began to run.

Stiles’s long stride carried him quickly away.

Derek blinked at the sudden burst of speed. 

Of course Stiles would be fast on his feet. He may be human but he also worked with wolves and had to be able to keep up if he needed to give chase. 

The creek widened before them, tendrils of frigid water winding their way around muddied islands.

Stiles jumped the first stream, landing on the center island, then launched himself clear to the other side, not even stumbling when the ground caved beneath his foot.

Derek ran faster, gaining momentum until he hit the creek edge. He jumped. The air ruffled his hair and he landed on the other side, feet sliding in the loose ground.

In front of him, Stiles laughed. 

Sticks and leaves crumbled under their feet with each pounding step. Stiles gained the lead. Then Derek. Stiles. Derek. 

 

Derek frowned. Everytime he caught up to Stiles, he managed to slip farther ahead. It seemed the only way to gain the lead was to shift. But that wouldn’t be fair. Stiles couldn’t shift. 

Stiles disappeared around a bend.

Somehow he was winning. 

“Come on, slowpoke.” Stiles’s voice floated back.

Derek shifted. His bones and muscles flexed and tensed. The familiar stretch and shrinking of limbs had him relaxing into the feeling. 

Four paws hit the ground and the forest came into clearer focus. 

Derek ran, flying down the trail after Stiles’s scent. He heard Stiles’s footsteps first, then the steady thump of his heart, and whoosh of his breath. 

Stiles glanced behind him when Derek came into sight. His eyes grew wide, mouth spreading into a grin, but he didn’t stop. 

Derek came level with him, matching him in pace. 

Stiles glanced at him again and laughed. Happiness flooded from him in waves, a tangled mix of cinnamon and honey that Derek savored. 

Derek leaned closer to him, to the smell. It was nice, intoxicating even, and he wanted to remember it.

Stiles bumped against him, startling him from his thoughts and causing his steps to falter. 

The slight distraction gave Stiles enough time to gain the lead. Again.

Two could play at that game.

Derek leapt forward, paws sliding briefly against the dirt. When Stiles came within distance, Derek pounced. He landed on Stiles’s back, paws hitting his shoulder blades.

Stiles’s knees buckled, toppling both of them.

Derek shifted mid-fall, twisting them both until Stiles landed on top of him instead of getting brained against the ground.

“I didn’t think that through,” Derek huffed, breathing quickly from the chase. 

Stiles laughed, resting his forehead against Derek’s shoulder.

Derek closed his eyes, taking in the weight on top of him and Stiles’s scent. Happy, calm, content. Under the pleasant smells, something bitter lurked. He frowned, cracking his eyes to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

Stiles pushed against his chest, levering himself up. “Nothing.”

If he hadn’t been listening, he wouldn’t have heard it. As it was, Stiles’s heart slowed a fraction of a beat: he was lying. “I’m sorry.” Derek sat up next to him.

Stiles looked up quickly, his face riddled with concern.

Derek continued, “I’m sorry if I did something to upset you.”

Stiles gave a small smile. “I’m not upset.” Lie. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a while.” Truth. His head tipped forward, his smile widening. He looked up through his lashes, lips parted on the verge of speaking.

Derek’s heart swooped nervously, but his nerves tingled, giddy with excitement.

Stiles’s gaze slid past Derek’s shoulder, unfocused in thought. He licked his lips, stalling the words he’d so clearly been about to say.

“It’s al-” Derek began, and faltered.

Stiles’s eyes narrowed. His body went rigid, scent shifting to something intense, focused.

Derek turned. The tree trunks around them looked just the ones by the house. Normal.

Stiles rolled free of Derek, rising to his feet.

Derek scrambled to his feet, vision sharpening. He felt his eyes begin to glow, claws descending from his fingertips.

Stiles’s previously-loud footsteps had gone soundless as he crept forward, like a predator stalking his prey.

Derek followed, muscles tensing. He couldn’t smell anything or anyone around.

Stiles ducked under a low hanging branch, stopping when he reached the trunk. He trailed a hand over the rough bark and Derek saw it: a black tuft of fur flapping lightly in the breeze.

“What color fur do Malia and Olive have?” His fingers stopped just short of it.

“Malia’s red-brown, Olive’s gray.” Derek inched closer to Stiles, careful not to go past him. “Peter, Mom, and I have black fur.”

“You haven’t been out here.” Stiles straightened, looking around them as one hand hovered near his waist. “Have Peter or Talia been out here lately?”

Derek’s heart thumped faster, a cold chill running down his spine. “Not that I know of.” He leaned closer to the tuft, taking in a deep breath. Anger. Blood. Unfamiliar, illogical rage. The hair on his neck and arms rose. Not pack. “It’s Deuc’s.”

Stiles nodded, like he’d already assumed as much. His fingers twitched. “We need to get home.” He twisted, running back the way they’d come.

Derek took off after him, shifting again. How had Deucalion tracked them so quickly _here?_ 600 miles away from home, where Eva had seen Deucalion tear Ennis to pieces. _He has resources_ , Derek told himself. _That’s part of the reason he’s so dangerous._ With Eva as the only witness to tie him to the recent string of murders, she was the only one standing between him and freedom. There wasn’t enough physical evidence alone to send him to prison.

Derek dragged himself away from the bad thoughts, focusing instead on Stiles’s pace and trying to match it.

Everything would be okay. Eva was okay. 

Images of the house in shambles danced through his mind. He went breathless with panic, anxiety making his lungs feel too small for the air he needed. His vision went narrow as they raced home, where he’d left his child, his baby, virtually unprotected. 

When the house came into sight, Derek breathed a sigh of relief; it was still standing. Through the back door and windows, he could see that almost everyone had moved to the living room.

“Go,” Stiles snapped. “Get inside.” He cut to the left, reaching for something at his waist.

Derek didn’t need telling twice. He shook off his shift and hurled himself up the porch steps and into the house; the door was unlocked because it was _always_ unlocked. He slammed it behind himself.

Sam looked up from helping David build a Lego house. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Where’s Eva?”

“With me. What’s going on?” Talia asked. She was walking, heading toward the living room from the library.

“Nothing.” He looked wildly at the windows. They were so exposed out here.

Talia entered the room with Eva obediently at her heels.

She looked at Derek and immediately grew tense, her face looking young and pale.

“Where’s Stiles?” Laura asked, bouncing Daniel on her knee to sooth his fussing. She still had bedhead, with a coffee stain on the front of her pajama shirt. She yawned.

“He’s—outside.”

“Is he hurt?” Talia prompted.

Peter came out of the kitchen next, interest piqued. “Ooh, does he need first aid?”

“No, no, stop, he’s fine, nothing—nothing’s wrong.”

Footsteps clattered toward the front door.

Derek’s heart stopped before he recognized Olive’s distinctive gait and Malia’s squeaky sneakers. He ran for the door and whipped it open. He went breathless with fear at the scent of blood and terror.

“What happened?” Talia barked, rushing toward them.

“Strange wolf on the property,” Olive snarled. “He tried to grab Malia.”

Derek slammed the door behind them, flipping the lock.

Eva whimpered.

He squeezed his eyes shut briefly before going to scoop her up protectively.

Peter went to check on Malia.

“I’m _fine_ , Dad,” Malia muttered. “Mom was _totally_ gonna kick his butt.”

Olive smiled slightly.

Eva buried her face against Derek’s throat.

“I didn’t get to do anything.” Olive looked at Derek, bewildered. “Stiles showed up with a gun and told us to get back to the house, to keep everyone inside.”

“A _gun?_ ” Talia demanded. “Where-” She looked at Derek, her gaze flicking down to Eva.

He clutched her tighter.

Outside, unearthly snarls echoed, making Eva whine and cling to Derek’s neck. A roar shook the windows.

Talia bared her teeth.

“Mom, can you take Eva?” Derek swallowed against every instinct that told him to hold her tight and run while he could. “She’s safest with you.”

She skeptically held her arms out. “We need an explanation, Derek.”

“No!” Eva squirmed out of his arms. “No, it’s my—my fault!”

“Eva, you know it isn’t,” Derek soothed.

Outside, Stiles cursed. A shot fired.

In the back of his mind, Derek wondered where Stiles had stashed a gun.

Deucalion roared.

Eva started crying. “It is! It is, and now Stiles is gonna get hurt and—” She cried harder, until her words were incomprehensible.

Talia gathered her up before Derek could.

The scent of fresh blood seeped into the house.

Derek bolted to the foyer, peering out one of the windows flanking the front door.

Stiles was crouched beside Laura’s car, panting and holding a handgun. “Put your hands behind your head and get on the ground!” he shouted.

Deucalion was standing in the yard halfway between Stiles and the house. He cocked his head. His nostrils flared. He looked toward the house.

Derek swallowed.

He was trying to choose who to kill first.

“Keep the kids in there,” Derek commanded softly. He opened the door and stepped onto the porch, claws and fangs at the ready. If Deucalion came this way, maybe he could stall him long enough for the others to get away.

Inside, Eva let out a soft cry of protest.

Stiles didn’t look up; all of his attention was on his target. “You’re already injured, Deucalion, and back-up is on the way. You’re done.”

He snarled and stalked toward the cars. “You think you can hold me?!” He moved with purpose. “You think your pathetic human weapons can stop me?”

Stiles tracked his movement carefully, rounding the cars and keeping low.

Derek’s hands twitched; Deucalion was getting awfully close, and he knew it, too, his eyes blazing with triumph.

Deucalion sprang toward Laura’s car. “I am the-”

Stiles stood up behind him and shot him behind the shoulder twice. “You’re under arrest, Deucalion Emery, for the murder of Ennis Wade.” He didn’t hesitate; he shoved Deucalion to the ground.

“How—how—” He couldn’t seem to speak.

“A very special blend of wolfsbane, just for you,” Stiles said flatly. “You have the right to remain silent.” He yanked his arms behind his back and produced handcuffs from his belt. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be…”

While Stiles read Deucalion his Mirandas, Derek stood, stunned.

“Daddy?” Eva called softly.

He shook himself. He had other important things to take care of, and Stiles had this well in hand. “It’s fine, Eves. Everything is fine.” He went and took her from Talia.

“Can we go check on Stiles?” she whispered, wiping her eyes on his shirt.

Derek glanced at the door. “We’ll have to stay inside, but we can look out the door, okay?”

She nodded.

Over her head, Talia was staring at Derek like she’d never seen him before.

Stiles looked up sharply when the door opened; he only relaxed a little when he saw them. “Don’t get too close; he’s dosed up, but I never trust it.”

“When did you call for back-up?” Derek asked cautiously.

Stiles held his wrist up; his bracelet clacked gently. “Panic button. Yours both have one, too, remember?”

Derek snorted. “Of course.”

“Did he get you?” Eva asked tearfully. “You’re bleeding.” Her voice shook.

“No, he didn’t. A tree got me.” He made a face; she laughed wetly.

A police cruiser pulled into the driveway a few minutes later.

Derek held onto Eva, watching the young man in the driverseat, who couldn’t have been any older than Stiles.

Deucalion struggled weakly against the laced bullets, lips curling into a soundless snarl.

Stiles glanced over his shoulder at the newly arrived car. “Scotty!” His face, slightly reddened from the tussle, broke out into a grin. “If you take him in, I’ll handle the paperwork?”

Scott opened the car door, gaze flicking over the scene before you, face taut. “You alright?” His nostrils flared and Derek caught the scent of ‘wolf. Scott closed the distance between them.

Stiles stepped back, keeping himself between Deucalion and the house. “Yeah, stupid tree.”

Scott snorted, a smile toying with his lips. “Yeah, curse those trees and their nasty limbs. They’re out to get you.” He hauled Deucalion to his feet, not bothering to wait for the alpha to get his footing before dragging him toward the car. 

Stiles glanced back toward the house. His shoulders relaxed when his gaze landed on Derek and Eva. He smiled.

Scott opened the back door, pushing Deucalion into the backseat. He looked from Stiles to Derek and back again. “I’ll, uh, take him in. You said you’d do paperwork?”

“I’ll have it in by tomorrow,” Stiles said, turning back to him. 

Scott nodded. “Be safe. I’ll see you back at headquarters.”

Eva jerked forward, the sudden motion catching Derek by surprise and giving her a split second head start across the driveway.

Scott paused halfway around the cruiser, hand trailing across the hood. 

Derek was a step behind her when she hurled herself into Stiles.

Stiles stumbled back a step. He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s alright, he won’t hurt you.”

Derek stopped just shy of plowing into Stiles himself. 

Scott nodded at him over the top of Eva’s head, climbing into the cruiser. 

“Are you alright?” Derek asked. He could still smell blood, though not as strongly as before. “You’re hurt.”

Eva loosened her grip but didn’t completely let go.

Stiles looked at Derek, an eyebrow lifted. “You’re naked.”

“Inside, both of you.” Talia swept toward them, motioning both of them back to the house. She placed a hand on Stiles’s shoulder, gently pushing him toward the door. Her gaze cut to Derek. “I expect an explanation.”

Derek nodded, “After Stiles is seen to.”

Eva guided Stiles into the living room despite his protests. By the time they’d reached the couch his protests had died into resignation. She wiped her tear stained cheeks on the back of her sleeve, squinting at him scrutinizingly.

“Where are you injured?” she demanded.

“I knew we’d need that first aid kit eventually,” Peter called. He strode through the room to the hall bathroom. 

Derek listened to him rummaging in the cabinet and sat next to Stiles.

Stiles held his left arm obediently out to Eva, the upper part of his sleeve ripped and clearly showing a deep scratch. “It’s not too bad.”

Eva hissed in sympathy.

Olive entered the room, glancing at Stiles. Malia followed Olive, climbing into her lap when she took a seat in the recliner. 

“So,” Cora sat in the remaining recliner. “Who exactly are you again, Stiles?” 

Talia and Evan walked up, stopping by the couch.

Laura held Daniel on her hip, an arm wrapped around David at her side. Sam stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. 

Derek took a steading breath and began the story. Eva cringed closer to Stiles when Derek mentioned the murders. Guilt twisted inside him; he should have pulled his family aside for this conversation.

“Do you know what my dad does when I’ve had a bad day?” Eva asked, taking the first aid kit from Peter when he re-entered the room.

“What’s he do?” Stiles asked, playing along with the distraction.

“He let’s me relax and watch movies.” She flicked open the box and squinted at it before pulling out a roll of gauze. “I think we should watch a movie.”

Derek spoke faster, lower, trying to get as much of the story out as he could while still keeping an ear on both Stiles and Eva. They’d all had an eventful day.

“What movie should we watch?” Stiles smiled, watching her shred his shirt sleeve to reach his scratch. 

She laid a piece of gauze against his skin and began wrapping. “I think Malia has the original Spiderman somewhere.” She looked over at where her cousin was sitting.

Malia nodded earnestly. “I can go get it.” She slid from her mom’s lap, rushing toward their room.

Derek smiled. He didn’t even know what he’d told them about what happened, or what still needed to be told. But... “I think a movie is a great idea.”

“So you two aren’t actually dating?” Laura asked cautiously.

Derek’s heart sank. That had been their cover story. Well, the cover story Derek had thrown Stiles into at the front door. “I- uh-”

“Someday you’ll find someone, Der.” Cora tucked her feet beneath her on the chair.

“We were just almost killed! I didn’t say-” Derek looked at Stiles. A laugh bubbled up from his chest. 

Eva had unrolled the whole roll of gauze onto Stiles’s arm and was in the process of sticking a bandaid over the edge to hold it in place. “All better!” She declared. 

“Thank you, doctor!” Stiles twisted his arm this way and that, inspecting her handy work. He beamed at Derek. “Didn’t she do a great job?”

“Yeah.” Derek nodded. “You did a wonderful job, Eves.”

“Now, what’s this about a movie date? I didn’t catch the whole thing.” Stiles scooted closer to the arm of the chair so Eva could sit between him and Derek.

Derek heard the slight slow of Stiles’s heartbeat. He’d heard the whole conversation, Derek realized.

“You don’t have to keep up the charade,” Cora said. “You did your job, you kept them, and us, safe. That’s as much as we could ask for.” She looked up at Talia and Evan.

Evan nodded, tousling Stiles’s hair. “You did well, kid.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Eva asked quickly, twisting to face Stiles.

“Not any time soon,” Stiles said, “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He paused, Derek listened to him take a slow breath, steeling himself to say something. Derek’s heart sank, this was it, Stiles was going to tell him it was over, this was the end of their “dating”.

“And,” Stiles continued, “if your dad agrees to the movie date, I might be around even longer.”

Derek’s head snapped up. “Like actual dating? Yes!”

Stiles smiled. “Like actual dating.”

“Does this mean I get joint custody of your comics?”


End file.
